Dan Pompei

NFC contenders come and go.

Except for the Seahawks, that is.

Over the last five years, they never missed the playoffs. And they won the NFC West the last four years.

So it stood to reason that this year once again they would be the heavy favorite in what was perceived as football's weakest division.

In the offseason, they released Shaun Alexander and revamped the running game by signing free agent runners Julius Jones and T.J Duckett and free agent blocker Mike Wahle. Good moves, right?

They addressed other areas of need in the draft with defensive end Lawrence Jackson and tight end John Carlson. Nice.

But all did not exactly go according to plan. The nightmare began in the offseason when Seahawks receivers started dropping like autumn leaves. In the season's early stages, they were without Deion Branch, Bobby Engram, Nate Burleson, Ben Obamanu and Logan Payne. Their passing game subsequently had no chance.

Since, quarterback Matt Hassebeck has been injured. And the defense, once thought to be the strength of the team, has gone south like a migratory goose.

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If the Seahawks don't turn it around soon, the skeptics will say the team is quitting on Mike Holmgren, who is in his final season as the coach of the team. They will say he stayed one year too long, and that his retirement started one year early. He certainly won't be sticking around after this season.

“I don’t think that’s my decision any more. I think we’ve kind of crossed that bridge,” he said Wednesday.

Holmgren doesn't want to see his pleasant run in Seattle end this way. And there is a good chance that the Seahawks can at least turn it around and be in contention in the second half.

Six other teams have started 1-4 since 1978 and made the playoffs. The Seahawks started 1-4 in 1979 and finished 9-7. So while being a playoff team might seem unrealistic for the Seahawks, it is not an impossible dream.

They remain a talented team in a winnable division, though the Cardinals have been impressive and could be tough to catch. But at the very least the Seahawks could make a fight of it.

Motivation should not be an issue. Players on this team will need to prove themselves to coach in waiting Jim Mora. Assistant coaches on this team will need to do their jobs well if they want to remain on staff or line themselves up for opportunities with other teams. And even Holmgren will be motivated to show he remains an elite coach. If Holmgren can get the Seahawks to finish strong, he likely will be in demand in the future should he choose to return to coaching, or even if he desires a front office job.

Holmgren has tinkered with the lineup, promoting cornerback Josh Wilson and wide receiver Koren Robinson to the starting lineup last week. He also has hinted Maurice Morris could be getting more playing time this week. More changes could be coming.

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For the Seahawks to be the kind of team we thought they were, this is what they will have to do in the second half:

Get healthy
They have no chance if they keep losing players, and if some of the injured don't come back strong.

Improve on third downs
They have converted only 30.2 percent of their third-down opportunities, which ranks 28th in the NFL. Part of this is because the Seahawks have been in too many third and longs.

Be more solid on special teams
Even if the Seahawks aren't a team that wins games on special teams, they can't be a team that loses games on special teams.

Force more takeaways
Their four takeaways rank second lowest in the NFL. Even if it means taking some chances, the Seahawks have to do it.

At this point, they have nothing to lose.

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